2021 Pros Vs Joes Best Ball Challenge
Shake and Bake People!!! It’s the 2021 installment of the Pros vs Joes Best Ball Draft Challenge!!! I’M ALL JACKED UP ON MOUNTAIN DEW!!!
The 2021 FFPC Pros vs Joes Draft Challenge enters its 13th year of competition. As in the past, the competition pits the high stakes players (Joes) of the FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) against a slew of fantasy industry experts (the Pros). In 2021 we are using the FFPC’s Best Ball Slim League as the competition format, which means that there are NO KICKERS OR DEFENSES drafted. These drafts are a lean and mean 18 rounds of high intensity drafting against the best minds in the industry (analysts and players alike). Your weekly starting lineup will consist of 1 QB – 2 RB – 2 WR – 1 TE – 2 Flex (RB,WR,TE). The compressed format also means your live draft will be much shorter as well. Live draft will run about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
These drafts are conducted at the end of July before training camps open. Draft your skill players and go to war. With “groupthink” often seeped in to the fantasy community around certain players, you may need to reach early and get your guy.
To get into this event, you must have been invited as an industry “Pro”, or won a spot via lottery as an early bird entrant into the 2021 FFPC Main Event. This is about bragging rights, showing who the best drafters are, and who wants the FREE entry into a 2022 FFPC Main Event (valued at $1,900) which is awarded to each winner of the seven 12 team leagues. “IF YOU AIN’T FIRST, YOU’RE LAST!!” There is no prize for any finish except first in your league. You must draft with that mindset. Go big or go home. Play it safe with your picks, and you will likely be mired in mediocrity.
Seven individual 18 round Slim Best Ball drafts are conducted to see who the best fantasy prognosticators are, as they draft BEFORE the preseason games of the NFL begin.
Six of these drafts are BROADCAST LIVE on the High Stakes Fantasy Football Hour. We have added one additional league which will be a SLOW draft, likely kicking off shortly before the first live one.
Prizes for the league winners in 2021 once again consist of FREE entries into the 2022 FFPC Main Event valued at $1,900 per entry. That’s a 1 in 12 shot at a huge prize for each participant, so this continues to be a highly coveted, limited, and exclusive contest.
The 2021 Draft dates are listed below:
Sunday July 18 – 8:00 PM EST
Monday July 19 – 9:00 PM EST
Tuesday July 20 – 10:00 PM EST
Sunday July 25 – 8:00 PM EST
Monday July 26 – 9:00 PM EST
Tuesday July 27 – 10:00 PM EST
Slow Draft starting TBD (but before the first live draft starts).
So how does one get an invitation to participate?
The “Joes” consist of players from the Fantasy Football Players Championship. A lottery system is used to determine who will participate, and the candidates for selection are pulled from the players who register early for the 2021 FFPC Main Event. Registration by Monday May 31st, 2021 makes you eligible for the drawing. In addition, you will receive $100 off the regular price for the first team, and $400 off the regular price for each additional team. Each team purchased counts toward one (virtual) ping pong ball in the selection lottery.
The “Pros” consist of industry experts/analysts, and are included via an invite-only basis after consideration by the FantasyMojo/FFPC selection committee.
This year’s list of Pro Representatives (So Far):
Sigmund Bloom – FootballGuys.com – @sigmundbloom
John Paulsen – 4for4.com – @4for4_John
Mike Schopp / Adam Krautwurst The Deep End Fantasy Football Podcast – @Schopptalk – @Adam_Krautwurst
Rich Hribar – SharpFootballAnalysis.com – @LordReebs
Pat Thorman – EstablishTheRun.com – @Pat_Thorman
Howard Bender – FantasyAlarm.com – @rotobuzzguy
Bob Harris – FootballDiehards.com – @footballdiehard
Bob Lung – BigGuyFantasySports.com – @bob_lung
Matthew Freedman – ActionNetwork.com – @MattFTheOracle
Tod Burros – Run To Daylight Podcast – @BestBallNFL
Peter Overzet – Ship Chasing – @PeterOverzet
Darren Armani – FantasyMojo.com – @fantasymojo
Michael Leone – EstablishTheRun.com – @2Hats1Mike
Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros.com – @MikeTagliereNFL
Shane Hallam – FakePigskin.com – @ShanePHallam
Jared Smola – DraftSharks.com – @SmolaDS
Matt Schauf – DraftSharks.com – @SchaufDS
Curtis Patrick / Ryan McDowell- Rotoviz – @CPatrickNFL – DynastyLeagueFootball.com – @RyanMc23
Brian Drake / Dwain McFarland – FightingChanceFantasy.com – @DrakeFantasy – Pro Football Focus – @DwainMcFarland
Scott Engel – RotoBaller.com – @scotteTheKing
Huseyin Aksu – FantasyCouch.com – @fantasycouch
Evan Silva – EstablishTheRun.com – @evansilva
Jeff Mans – EliteFantasy.com – @Jeff_Mans
Davis Mattek – SportsGrid.com – @DavisMattek
Michael Nazarek – FFMastermind.com – @FFMasterMind
Jim Coventry – RotoWire.com – @JimCoventryNFL
Dan Williamson – Goat District Podcast – @OverHypedSleepr
Justin Boone – TheScore.com – @justinboone
David Dodds – Alien Fantasy – @fbg_dodds
Jeremy Browand – Dynasty Trades HQ Podcast – @DynastyMadman
Jake Ciely – TheAthletic.com – @allinkid
Nelson Verbit – DynastyDepot.com – @thedynastydepot
Jason Petropoulos – BRotoFantasy.com – @BrotoFantasy
Josh Hayes – RotoBaller.com – @JoshHayesFS
Pat Kerrane – NBCSportsEdge.com – @PatKerrane
Scott Barrett – FantasyPoints.com – @ScottBarrettDFB
Jeff Ratcliffe – FTNFantasy.com – @JeffRatcliffe
Billy Muzio – Fantasydata.com – @FFMuzio
Alex Dunlap – RosterWatch.com – @AlexDunlapNFL
John Daigle – NBCSportsEdge.com – @notJDaigle
Doug Orth – FFToday.com – @DougOrth
Marcas Grant – NFL.com – @MarcasG
The Joes
Alexander Bulazo: “Spearmint Rhinos”
Andrew Miller: “Bashing Bunnies”
Beth Riches: “InIt2WinIt”
Bill Ezzell and Don Ezzell: “Ezzell Brothers IV”
Biplab Mandal: “Bipcoin”
Bradley Petri and Darren Larson: “Frying Pan Inc 2”
Curtis Hirsch: “Fairways & Greens”
Danny Mueller: “Blitzers”
David Strumeier: “Strumen”
Derek Kappes: “dkappes”
Edward Vu and Mike Vu: “Mike’Ed Up”
Eric Rubin: “Jungle Catz”
Hillard Newsome: “Death Dealers”
Hudson Reeve: “Shadows on Plato s Cave”
Jason Conn and Aaron Leyser: “Team Shocker KFFSC”
Jay Flake: “AW1”
Jay Harding: “Chosen By God”
Jay Reid and Scott Connor: “Chasing The Helmet”
JC Gifford: “BBWC”
Jeff Tirabassi: “Cornfins 9/6 10am”
Jeffrey Burger and Dan Pohlner: “E. Grand Rapids Trailblazers”
Jetshada Jaruboon: “Jet s Demons”
John Kleinfelder and Dave Byer: “Fester”
John Shaw and Jay Wenning: “CaliBama”
Keith Douglas and Steve McMahon: “SMcKD Blue”
Lev Noryan: “Boris”
Mark Palmer and Amy Palmer: “ZC Riley FFPC 911 1600”
Matt Stone and Andrew Stone: “Ronald Ocean”
Matthew Jones and Monty Phan: “Straight Outta Whatcom”
Michael Abt: “Golden Sack 8”
Michael Cobb: “Menobrown”
Michael Guzylak and Joe Scoza: “Ho Hummers N Goose Eggs 4”
Michael Reed: “Chaotic Jelly”
Michael Sheffer: “The Return of Ashley and Ally”
Mike Stanowski: “Det. Gino Felino”
Nick Thompson: “DFSOracle”
Richy Nishiura: “Jimmy Bears”
Rob Vieyra: “Camels”
Robert (RCR) Russell and Robbie Russell: “Vegassquad 2021”
Robert Coe: “FANTASY WINGMEN #1”
Robert Trenz: “The Damage Done”
Ryan Lipps and Brad: “Athos.2”
Interested in seeing the all-time leaderboard for this competition and check out the names that have participated in this contest over the years? GO HERE .
It’s never too early to start your training for this annual extravaganza. Start drafting now, and keep up to date with the draft boards as we approach the event.